What social and religious values are in conflict in this play and which of
the main characters holds which of these values?

The position of women in the Greek society is an essential theme of the
play, Antigone.The freedom
of women during this period was very limited, and they were expected to submit
selflessly to the rules laid before them.

However, there is a significant difference between the personalities of
Antigone and Ismene when it comes to upholding this situation.Upon knowing the royal decree declared by Kreon, that
Eteocles will be buried with all the rites and honors, while Polynieces’ body
will be left to rot, Antigone was decided not to let this happen to her dead
brother.As a matter of fact, she
sought Ismene’s help in burying Polynieces, “…I wanted you to come out
with me.There is something we must
do.”This behavior of
impassiveness was a contradiction to her very own culture, which considers women
inferior, as Kreon will later say, “If we must lose, let’s lose to a man, at
least!Is a woman stronger than
we?”On the other hand, although
Ismene felt sorry for her brother, Polynieces, she will not disobey her king.Her sense of powerlessness and submissiveness were very much manifested
in the first part of the play, while arguing with Antigone, “Our own death
would be if we should go against Kreon and do what he has forbidden!We are only women, and we cannot fight with men, Antigone!”It also seemed that her gender has everything to do with her
belief in her own powerlessness as she reasoned out that it is their gender that
makes them unable to do anything.Ismene
is a good example of a person who has an external locus of control, because she
cannot assume her fate into her own hands.

Another important theme of this play is the concept of pride, which is
different from the Christian’s perspective.The Greeks consider pride as part of greatness while Christian believers
see pride in contrast to Christ’s virtue of humility, and in fact, is
considered one of the seven deadly sins.In
this play, pride symbolizes strength of character, which comes with dignity and
determination.However, it also
meant stubbornness and blindness.

Both Antigone and Kreon were proud people.Antigone’s pride was manifested by her unwillingness to obey the
king’s decree, which is considered the laws of man,“I will bury him; and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy: I
shall be as dear to him as he is to me.It
is the dead, not the living, who make the longest demands.”A possible explanation I can think of for Antigone’s stubbornness is
based on the priorities she has set forth.She deemed the divine laws as more important than the human laws, making
them defenses of her actions as she reasoned out to Ismene, “…You may do as
you like.Since apparently, the
laws of the gods mean nothing to you.”I
can also consider this as one of the major conflicts (divine laws versus human
laws) in this tragedy, only that the importance of the next world outweighs the
importance of human laws, which were then believed to have been established for
the public good.

Kreon’s pride was also marked by stubbornness in several instances.It was harder for him to yield because aside from the fact that he was
the king, “Do you want me to show myself weak before the people?”, he has to
yield to a woman, “When I am alive, no woman shall rule.”For Kreon, to yield is to show weakness, or even to show poor leadership
skills.Since he is the king, he firmly believed that his words must
be strictly obeyed, and his words must remain as hard as solid rock, “Whoever
is chosen to govern should be obeyed, must be obeyed in all things, great and
small, just and unjust.”Kreon’s
proud nature was also greatly manifested with his argument with Haimon when he
spoke to Choragos, “You consider it right for a man of my years and experience
to go to school to a boy?”He is
apparently blinded and would not consider a younger man’s thoughts because he
believed that he is wiser because he is older.Nonetheless, I don’t think he is unaware of his true character as he
later on mentioned towards the end of the story that it is worse to risk
everything for stubborn pride.

I think Kreon has good intentions for his people, but he doesn’t uphold
the correct set of values.Unlike
Antigone, he deemed patriotism and civil obedience (human laws) as most
important, failing to consider other aspects of justice.He is so confined with the set of rules and regulations that men
established that he didn’t deliberate on other areas such as divine laws and
conscience.

The Choragos said at the end of the
story, “…. No wisdom but in submission to the gods….”Does this pose an implication that Antigone’s behavior is more heroic?
She disobeyed the state but has shown love for her brother and has acted out of
faith.This play demonstrated that there are laws more powerful than
any social or human law that we may have.It
reminded the audience that although there are rules to live by, there’s a
conscience to live with.

(This commentary was posted in March, 2005, with the permission of the
student who wrote it.)

This instructional web was made in July, 2002, by Prof. Eric
Hibbison, who is solely responsible for its content.